realmofadventurefandomcom-20200216-history
Chosen of Mystra
The Chosen of Mystra are, similarly to the Chosen of other deities, mortals who have been specifically blessed by Mystra. Due to this blessing they gain access to unprecedented magical power. Mystra's Chosen are all concerned with fighting evil and imbalances in the Weave. Known Chosen of Mystra * Alustriel Silverhand * Alvaerele Tasundrym * Dove Falconhand * Elminster * Laeral Silverhand * The Simbul * Storm Silverhand * Falrinn Evenwood Deceased Chosen * Laranla Aloevan of the Ardeep Forest * Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun * Qilué Veladorn * Sammaster * Syluné Silverhand * Symrustar Auglamyr Benefits Chosen of Mystra gain many benefits from her blessing, but there are a few notable powers that they gain. Obviously, they all have a greater command of the magic they wield, seeming to be able to cast more often with less effort. They also become more familiar with magic; able to detect its presence. In addition, many also develop immunities to magic, and eventually immunities to disease and poison. They become much more hardy, showing a toughness uncharacteristic of most mages. The most sought after, mysterious, and powerful benefit Mystra's Chosen gain from her blessing, however, is silver fire, a unique ability to conjure a silvery flame in a variety of functions. "That crow -- that was The Simbul, right?" At Christmas we even exchanged postcards of stumps, and tulips, and canoes on tranquil lakes, rusting old jalopies, wagonwheels, cowskulls in deserts, and fashion models strutting down runways in the most ridiculous garments, all with gag captions like this one: "The Simbul, as she appeared on the fourth of Mirtul, just east of Ashabenford." Yes, it's an inherent natural power, using the silver fire to effect a shapechange on their bodies, NOT a magical effect. (Distinction: a healing spell mends a wound by magical means, but the actual changes that magic wreaks: restoring cell walls, moving blood back to where it should be and cleansing it, expelling infections and foreign objects, knitting together damaged or severed organs and tissue, are the same natural processes that psionics could bring about, or more slowly a body could in some cases manage by itself in the right conditions. The force that does the healing is magical, but the healing itself might not always be -- and in the case of the Chosen, their internal control of the silver fire, which mixed with their blood upon accepting Mystra (or, in the case of the Seven, as they were growing in the womb) and circulates in their bloodstream, is now a natural process for them. Their bodies have changed from the human norm. That's the 'how.' As for the 'why,' the governing rule is this: the Chosen have all been alive long enough to outlive their childhood friends and acquaintances, and to have experimented with dwelling in different cultures, climates, and even being different genders. They've settled on the bodies that they like, that best fit the image they want to present to the world. Alustriel and Storm like making love, for instance, and find it easier to end up with willing partners when their own shapes are pleasant and enticing. And so on. One thing DMs should bear in mind when running the Chosen: their experience and their shapechanging powers allows them to make subtle changes in their looks that can strongly influence the reactions of beings they meet (Dove once fooled a murderous noble into thinking she might be related to him by subtly shifting her eye color and face to resemble that of his dead mother, and Storm made a man fear her by knowing what his aunts who'd reared him looked like, and changing her features JUST enough to remind him of their strict authority). Category:Chosen of Mystra